Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon — Complete eBook

Near the Emperor’s cabinet was a small room
in which the secretaries stayed, furnished with a
desk, on which notes or petitions were—­often
placed. This room was usually occupied by the
cabinet usher, and the Emperor was accustomed to enter
it if he wished to hold a private conversation without
being overheard by the secretaries. When the
Emperor entered this room the usher withdrew and remained
outside the door; he was responsible for everything
in this room, which was never opened except by express
orders from his Majesty.

Marshal Bessieres had several days before presented
to the Emperor a request for promotion from a colonel
of the army which he had warmly supported. One
morning the marshal entered the little room of which
I have just spoken, and finding his petition already
signed lying on the desk, he carried it off, without
being noticed by my wife’s uncle who was on
duty. A few hours after, the Emperor wished to
examine this petition again, and was very sure he
had left it in this small room; but it was not there,
and it was thought that the usher must have allowed
some one to enter without his Majesty’s orders.
Search was made everywhere in this room and in the
Emperor’s cabinet, and even in the apartments
of the Empress, and at last it was necessary to announce
to his Majesty that the search had been in vain; whereupon
the Emperor gave way to one of those bursts of anger
which were so terrible though fortunately so rare,
which terrified the whole chateau, and the poor usher
received orders never to appear in his sight again.
At last Marshal Bessieres, having been told of this
terrible commotion, came to accuse himself. The
Emperor was appeased, the usher restored to favor,
and everything forgotten; though each one was more
careful than ever that nothing should be disturbed,
and that the Emperor should find at his finger’s
end whatever papers he needed.

The Emperor would not allow any one to be introduced
without his permission, either into the Empress’s
apartments or his own; and this was the one fault
for which the people of the household could not expect
pardon. Once, I do not exactly remember when,
the wife of one of the Swiss Guard allowed one of
her lovers to enter the apartments of the Empress;
and this unfortunate woman, without the knowledge of
her imprudent mistress, took in soft wax an impression
of the key of the jewel-box which I have already mentioned
as having belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette, and,
by means of a false key made from this impression,
succeeded in stealing several articles of jewelry.
The police soon discovered the author of the robbery
who was punished as he deserved, though another person
was also punished who did not deserve it, for the
poor husband lost his place.